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Meta's new Orion augmented reality glasses may still be a prototype that costs thousands of dollars to produce, but when you put them on, they feel like the future, writes Ina Fried of Axios.

Meta also demoed the first prototype of its Orion holographic AR glasses, which are still too expensive to mass produce. Final word: Meta demonstrating meaningful product and platform updates indicates it has long-term plans across emerging technologies. The company is also positioning itself as a worthy competitor to OpenAI by offering AI voices and productizing AI-capable wearable devices.

The last few years have been designated the year of the metaverse or AR鈥攐nly to fizzle or at least fail to meet expectations. Even so, we estimate AR already counts over 90 million users with most engaging with social media AR lenses on their smartphones. The arrival of several innovative immersive media devices in 2024 may spur innovation that will spill into the broader immersive media landscape.

Snapchat presses forward with performance, AR, and Snapchat+. Snapchat鈥檚 US ad revenues will grow 8.0% YoY in 2024. Progress made with measurement and demonstrating the efficacy of its performance-focused ads will help Snapchat鈥檚 US ad business climb back over the $2 billion mark in 2024. In 2026, Snapchat鈥檚 US ad revenues will reach $2.41 billion.

Snapchat, Meta, and TikTok are leaning into AR. Snap has deployed several virtual try-on solutions over the years, which it claims drive engagement and conversion. But now, Meta has joined the AR bandwagon, rolling out AR ad formats in Reels and Facebook Stories. Meanwhile, TikTok鈥檚 Effect House AR studio exited beta earlier this year. Meta and TikTok are pushing toward in-app checkout.

The new marketplace will launch in mid-October and include assets for creators such as 3D models, game map templates, AR and VR content, and design tools. User motivation: Fab will offer user-friendly tools like a 鈥淣oAI鈥� tag, which lets developers classify assets as being unavailable for generative AI (genAI) training programs.

Adoption of AR/VR headsets will increase rapidly over the next few years. The International Data Corporation (IDC) forecasts that worldwide shipments of the devices will grow by more than 3.5 times between 2023 and 2027, from 8.5 million to 30.3 million. Brands and retailers are gravitating toward the Vision Pro.

Browse ads are already saturated, and may not stand out to consumers the way ads featuring AI, AR, or gaming interactions might. Optimize: Provide a variety of products for consumers to scroll through to hold their attention. For ads where consumers tap to reveal more information, make sure the content adds value and is worth consumers鈥� time.

Really quickly on that point, I mean they announced them, but they announced them before Meta said, hey, check out these Orion AR glasses. And then they had some other glasses that they, a concept pair that they were talking about looking to put out further down the road. Does this kill Spectacles dead in the water?

This includes analyzing user contexts like location and time of day to deliver relevant ads, building detailed user profiles for precision advertising, and exploring AR capabilities for interactive ad campaigns. Smart home evolution and robotics.

We鈥檒l see deeper AI integration with AR experiences. As Walmart demonstrates with its AR showrooms, the next step will be integrating conversational AI into these immersive environments. Shoppers may interact with AI assistants within virtual storefronts, getting real-time advice as they virtually try on clothes or arrange furniture in digital homes. What does this mean for marketers?

Prominently displaying specific measurements, care instructions, materials, and frequency of item return鈥攁long with providing AR/VR capabilities and accurate photos鈥攃an help move the customer closer to placing the order. Authenticity is the key to advertising on social media.

I think they've introduced a few kind of AR things where you can take pictures of something in the real world and they'll link to it on their app. So I think that's a really good example of a financial services company starting to change the behavior of consumers. Sara Lebow (09:25):. Yeah. Arielle Feger (09:25):. And really start putting them in the shopping mindset as they're looking on their app.

Retailers are experimenting with generative AI (genAI) across various use cases, from personalized marketing to conversational search. But the strategic risks of being an early adopter of genAI versus waiting for established players to set standards remain unclear.

Snap is all in on AR for retail. From the unveiling of AR mirrors to a demonstration of its new AR Enterprise Services (ARES) technology, SPS proved Snap is now fully committed to retail AR. The ARES Shopping Suite shows signs of promise. Retail AR is still far from mainstream, but shopping is a growing use case among AR users.

At the same time, smartphones will deepen their role as a remote control for the home and the second screen for out-of-home (OOH) via augmented reality (AR). Mobile AR Gets Anchored. Numerous platforms 鈥渁nchor鈥� AR experiences to exact locations or points of interest.

And then thinking about some of the new products and features and services that you've been rolling out recently, I'm thinking about Threads, for example, which is a new platform that was launched just over a year ago, there's also new devices like the Orion AR glasses, how do you maintain that consistency there as you're looking ahead? Alex Schultz (05:55):.

AR headsets will grow more quickly鈥攂ut from a much smaller base. AR devices will increase from nearly half a million units in 2023 to 6.4 million in 2027. The distinction is fuzzy, however, since most VR headsets are mixed reality and include AR features. Despite troubles, Meta still dominates the VR space.